Diamondbacks trade deadline primer: Is big splash coming?

CHICAGO — Despite a brutal July that saw them go 8-16, the Diamondbacks were still well-positioned enough to buy at last year’s trade deadline. They made several moves, most notably acquiring closer Paul Sewald and outfielder Tommy Pham.

But there was one box — that of acquiring a starting pitcher — that they did not check. As a result, they used bullpen games in Game 4 of both the NLCS and World Series. After losing to the Texas Rangers in the World Series, general manager Mike Hazen wished that he had done more.

“I have a lot of regrets,” he said in his exit interview in November. “It’s kind of painful to sit here and talk about this after getting bounced from the World Series and feeling like what happened in Game 4 isn’t 100 percent on me.”

Hazen said that that the cost to acquire a starter at last year’s deadline was high. While he did not regret rejecting offers for outfielder Alek Thomas or right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, he wondered if he could have pushed other deals in different directions to make something work.

Given what Hazen felt after last year’s postseason run, one might think that he would have a doubly aggressive approach this time around. But he feels that this year, this team is different.

“This team is a stronger team,” Hazen told PHNX Sports. “It’s a better team than the team we had last year. The starting pitching for me this year is more predicated on health because, if we get everybody back, with the way Pfaadt, [Ryne Nelson], Yilber [Diaz] are all throwing, that’s a way different dynamic than it was last year. So, it’s not apples to apples.”

This is not to say that Hazen will not be active leading up to this year’s July 30 trade deadline. After a series win over the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, the Diamondbacks enter play on Monday in a three-way tie for the third wild card spot in the National League. They will almost certainly be buyers.

As for what they’ll be looking for, Hazen mentioned all facets — bullpen, offense, starting pitching — as potential areas for improvement. Here’s a closer look at each of them.

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Clear priority: bullpen

While it is not a definitive that they will get something done, acquiring a bullpen arm appears to be the Diamondbacks’ most likely move.

“Everybody’s always looking for bullpen this time of year,” Hazen said. “You gotta watch out for your bullpen health, make sure you have enough depth there. I think we have enough good young arms that can step into some roles, but we’ll look at that area.”

Hazen said that the Diamondbacks do not have a preference between a right-handed or left-handed reliever. That may come as a surprise given that Joe Mantiply is currently the only lefty on the roster. Hazen said that he is not too concerned about that, however. All four of the club’s primary high-leverage relievers this year, including Sewald, Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson, and Justin Martinez have put up better numbers against lefties than righties.

While Hazen does not have a strong preference in terms of handedness, he said that he is looking for someone who can pitch in the seventh inning or later. “Any righty we get will need to get lefties out,” he added.

Sunday’s loss to the Cubs illustrated how helpful an additional backend bullpen arm could be.

With Sewald, Thompson and Ginkel unavailable after pitching back-to-back days, the Diamondbacks lost in 10 innings despite taking a 1-0 lead into the ninth. Martinez blew his first save opportunity of the year, and long man Humberto Castellanos walked in the winning run in the 10th.

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Is third base still a need?

On June 11, Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez had a .575 OPS in 262 plate appearances. The club opted to give rookie Blaze Alexander more looks at third; it appeared that Suárez was running out of time.

Since then, Alexander has been demoted to Triple-A Reno, and Suárez has slashed .255/.376/.500. In light of Suárez’s recent surge, the Diamondbacks do not appear to be in dire need of infield help.

Nonetheless, Hazen said that he will look to improve any platoon situations that he can. He said that he is more so looking for left-handed hitters than right-handed, although he expects left-handed hitters to be difficult to find.

As far as third base is concerned, there are still some questions to be answered heading into next season. According to Cots Contracts, Suárez has a $15 million club option for 2024 with a $2 million buyout. Despite Suárez’s better play lately, he probably still has a lot more to prove before the team would pick that up.

“That would always be a long-term need for us,” Hazen said of third base. “I’m hoping [Jordan] Lawlar is gonna step into that role or that group of guys will step into that role at some point. But in the short term, yeah, for next year or whatever may happen, that’s something we’ll still take a look at, too.”

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Will diamondbacks add a starter?

With Jordan Montgomery expected to return from a knee injury on Tuesday and both Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez continuing to make progress in their recovery from shoulder injuries, the Diamondbacks do not seem likely to add a starting pitcher.

However, if their injured starters face any hangups leading up to the deadline, Hazen said that he could dive into the starting pitching market. With the trade deadline just over a week away, there is not much time left to make that decision.

On paper, the Diamondbacks would have strong depth in the rotation if Montgomery, Kelly and Rodriguez were all to return. Zac Gallen and Pfaadt are staples, and both Nelson and Diaz have thrown well lately.

Adding a starter as a safety net could make sense in case Rodriguez or Kelly face setbacks after the deadline, but Hazen said that he expects the market to be thin; it seems unlikely that he will go down that road unless the need becomes more urgent.

Of course, Hazen would never rule out the possibility of acquiring a controllable starter if an opportunity were to arise.

“I am very realistic that that’s not going to be attainable,” he said, “but never say never. You never know what’s gonna come open or who might call us to make a type of trade. Maybe they need a position player that we have and you can pull one of those off.”

On paper, the Diamondbacks could bring back their same starting group next year. Pfaadt, Nelson and Diaz are all youngsters with plenty of control. Gallen will be in the final year of his contract. Rodriguez will be in year two of his four-year deal. Kelly has a club option for 2025, and Montgomery has a player option, both of which seem likely to be exercised.

For the moment, it does not look like the Diamondbacks need more starting pitching, either this year or next. But, as the adage goes, you can never have too much.

What Diamondbacks might have to give up

The addition of a third wild card spot in 2022 made it easier to make the MLB postseason. That means that more teams are in contention around the deadline, and fewer teams are looking to sell off pieces in exchange for lower-level prospects.

Hazen said that he expects potential trade partners to ask for upper-level, major-league-ready talent, but that he would prefer to trade prospects if he can.

“They’ll probably ask about guys on our team,” he said. “We got asked about Brandon Pfaadt all offseason and all trade deadline last year. I’m sure it’s gonna be a lot of the same.

“I’m willing to be creative and think about things, but I’m going to be very cognizant of who I take off the team and what part of the makeup and part of the team that they comprise.”

If the Diamondbacks make moves, it seems likely that they will happen close to the deadline itself. Hazen said over the weekend that there was “nothing going on” in trade talks. That should change soon.

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Top photo: Getty Images